The Sandcastle
by giraffes
Summary: Oneshot. RikkuGippal. We all know how cruel little kids can be, but they also can be the most thoughtful people.


AN: I was really bored. And I've always wondered what the Al Bhed kids would do for fun in the endless pit of sand they call Home. Then this idea came into mind.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned them. Then I wouldn't be so poor...

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**The Sandcastle**

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Out in the desert sand, there sat a little girl, no more than six years old. She sighed to herself in content. It was the prettiest masterpiece she had ever made. No one was going to ruin her happy moment.

Except for the most "annoying-est-est-est" person in the world. Gippal.

But he was nowhere to be found, so she pulled some more sand towards her so she could finish building her castle. Yep yep, she was building a sandcastle. One that had the biggest tower, the biggest houses, and the biggest moat (minus the water). The best sandcastle village in the world. It was called Rikkuville.

She smiled to herself. It was perfect. Almost. The look-out tower that was connected to the outer wall had broken. So she started to pat it back into its original shape. Once it was done, it was indestructible. It could withstand the meanest of the meanest monsters in all of Spira!

Then along came Gippal.

He was the biggest and fattest enemy of Rikkuville. He was mean, menacing, and merciless. When he was hungry, everyone had to face his wrath; and most of the time, he's hungry.

"Hey, Cid's girl!"

She eyed his feet, waiting to launch an attack in case it came too close to Rikkuville. Then she eyed the moat, hoping that it was wide enough to protect her precious village. She knew she should have made it bigger...

"Helloooo? Can you hear me?" He waved his hands around, and trotted closer. That hand wave! He was turning really really mad now. It was his motion to attack Rikkuville. All troops to their spots!

Rikku quickly patted the sand down, and then turned away to gather some more to mend the last part of the outer wall. Lastly, she would need to draw some windows and doors.

"You, Cid's girl, I've been yelling at you for a long time, and you ignore me?" The menacing monster huffed. Rikku just kept on patting. Maybe if she ignored him he would go away. After all, it worked with flies, and there wasn't much of a difference between Gippal and flies. They were both annoying, and they both keep bothering you till they see nothing interesting and leave.

"Ciiiiiid's giiiiiiiirl? You there?" He patted her head. She finished her patting and then picked up a stick to draw windows and doors. Gippal frowned. If she was ignoring him because of her stupid castle...

He stomped on it. "Hah, now you hafta play with me, Cid's girl." Gippal was pleased with his plan - erase the object of distraction, and then he can go and play with her! Flawless. But...

"GIPPAL YOU BIG MEANIE! YOU SQUASHED MY CASTLE!"

He looked at Rikku. Her face was turning pink, and her eyes were watering. Her fists clenched, and he started to back away just incase she was going to hit somewhere...unpleasant.

Rikku stood up. Gippal gulped.

He just wanted to play with her, and she was really fun to tease. Jeez, he thought, she didn't hafta get all mad about a dumb castle anyways. But some guilt started to tug when he saw tears coming out of her eyes.

"I HATE YOU!" Rikku screached, and then turned to run home. Gippal stood there speechless. She said that she hated him. She. Hated. Him.

The world was going to end right now.

Sighing, he turned around and trudged home. The only thought on his mind was that she hated him. Just because of a sandcastle. He then regretted that he stomped on it. But it was her fault for ignoring him! Yeah. She should have seen it coming...

A couple days after the incident, while Rikku was out playing with her friends (and avoiding _him_), Gippal managed to sneak inside her room. He planted something on her bed, and dashed out before Cid can skin him alive.

Rikku, returning home, had found it and gasped. It was a miniature sandcastle that she had built, made out of scraps of metal the maker managed to steal and find. Next to it was a note, which she guessed was written by Gippal due to the messy handwriting. It read:

_Cid's girl,  
Sorry about the castle. It was your fault anyways (you didn't bother to answer me).  
I'm really really really sorry. Really really really sorry._

She smiled. Dashing out of her house, she had spotted him and a couple of his friends. Running into him, she flung her arms around his neck.

"OH Thank you!" And with that she spun on her heel and dashed away, grinning like crazy.

Gippal blinked. Then he turned to his friends, who smirked at the closeness of the two.

"So, Gippal, care to explain?"

"Um..." Gippal began, flushing pink. "She thanked me...?"

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A/N: Reviews appreciated. Hope you enjoyed the story.

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Many years later, when they had grown out of the idea that girls and boys have cooties, shy love letters, and the stares at 'cute' crushes, one item would always remain constant in her bedroom, on her nightstand.

And every time she returned home, she would always see the small metal sandcastle and be reminded of the person who had made it for her.


End file.
